Are you a betting man – Here are tempting odds for the US Open.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Joel Beall of Golf Digest has put together an interesting list of sleeper picks and the Under/Over for possible bets for the US Open. I think it will be fun to get a group of buddies together and take a shot at predicting these outcomes. Something to talk about on Monday morning!
OAKMONT, Pa. — We’ve produced our U.S. Open favorites and sleeper picks, but how about a list of side bets and wagers for the degenerate gambler in us all? Using odds from Top Bet Sportsbook, here are the 10 best props, wagers and odds for the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club:
What will the winner make on the first hole on Sunday? Par or better (-105), Bogey or worse (-130)
The 482-yard par 4 is one of the most challenging opening holes in the game. At the 2007 U.S. Open, the field averaged a 4.515 score on Oakmont’s first, the third-highest mark on the course behind the 18th and 10th holes. Figures like that would seem to indicate bogey is the prefered route.
However, there were more pars and birdies (230) than bogeys and higher (207) in 2007. Moreover, Angel Cabrera, the winner that year, recorded a par in his victory march, which is why we are going par or better for this bet.
Winning Nationality: American (-115), European (+220), Rest of the World (+275)
For those scoring at home, that “rest of the world” umbrella covers tournament favorite Jason Day (7-1), as well as Adam Scott (30-1), Hideki Matsuyama (30-1, and a guy a lot of people like this week) and Louis Oosthuizen (50-1). If you’re booking with Day or the aforementioned trio, include this prop as a parlay.
Will Jordan Spieth finish in the top 5? Yes (+125), No (-200)
Well, here are his last five finishes in majors: 1st, 1st, T-4th, 2nd, T-2nd. It’s an absurd streak, one that doesn’t seem sustainable…but I’m sure as hell not going against the Golden Child.
Will there be a hole-in-one? Yes (+240), No (-320)
There’s a 300-yard par 3, basically rendering the field to just three opportunities, and the last par 3 is a 231-yard bear. Wet weather on Thursday and Friday will give players a fighter’s chance, but Oakmont and the USGA have too much pride in this layout to bestow an ace. Circle “no.”
Winning margin: 1 stroke (+250), 2 strokes (+375), 3 strokes (+475), 4 strokes or more (+300), Playoff (+260)
Jason Day said Oakmont’s set-up could lead to a runaway victor. Far be it from me to question 1) The world’s best player and 2) An Aussie. Four strokes or more is our pick.
Will Rickie Fowler finish in the top 10? Yes (+220), No (-300)
Fowler’s 2014 campaign, one in which he finished in the top five in every major, seems long ago. Fowler’s best performance last season was a T-12 at Augusta. Worse, Fowler is not bringing his “A” game into Oakmont, missing the cut at the Masters, Players Championship and Memorial.
Fowler thrives on longer courses, but Oakmont is one of the few major venues that doesn’t cater to bombers. Add it up and the answer is “no” for Fowler this week.
Who are the best drivers on Tour and what equipment do they use?
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
According to Mark Brodie, whose book “Every Shot Counts” presents a new way of measuring stats. Driving distance is more important than driving accuracy. The old way of measuring driving prowess was “Fairways Hit,” which Mark Brodie proved wrong. Brodie found that the long hitters had a distinct advantage over the shorter hitters even though, the shorter hitters hit more fairways. Golf Digest Stix gives us the best drivers on the PGA Tour who lead in “Strokes Gained Driving.” As you can see, they all hit the ball a long way. What does this mean to you, the average golfer? Go to the range and work on hitting the ball further, not straighter!
PGA Tour: Stat Leaders
Nearly every major championship puts a premium on driving the ball well. But it’s even more so at Oakmont Country Club for this week’s U.S. Open. The course is not only long—avoiding the long, thick rough makes distance and accuracy off the tee critical to contend. In 2007 Angel Cabrera averaged 310.9 yards off the tee (ranked second for the week) and hit enough fairways to rank T-3 in greens in regulation. Look for a similar performance from this year’s champion, with the following five players—who rank at the top of the PGA Tour’s strokes gained/off the tee category—among the most likely candidates.
Few players on tour can match McIlroy’s prowess off the tee. The four-time major winner uses a 45.25-inch Nike Vapor Fly Pro driver set at 9.5 degrees with a Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 70 XTS shaft and Golf Pride New Decade Multi-Compound ribbed white/black grip. Prior to this year’s Northern Trust Open in February, McIlroy (above) adjusted the loft of his driver plus 1 degree (from 8.5 to 9.5 degrees) in order to create more spin to help him draw the ball more.
As one would expect with an individual as unique as Watson, his Ping G driver isn’t exactly standard-issue. For starters, the 9-degree pink clubhead is set at 7.5 degrees, and the “dragonfly” technology on the crown (areas where the crown is made thinner) is black. Though one of the tour’s longest hitters, the True Temper Grafalloy BiMatrx x-flex shaft (which is graphite with a steel tip section) is on the short end of the spectrum at 44.5 inches, which Watson says offers him greater control of his tee shots. The grip is oversize with 11 wraps of tape on the top and 13 wraps on the bottom, set 10 degrees open. Watson will use this club as he tries to improve on his fifth-place showing at Oakmont in 2007.
What is “Strokes Gained” and how can it help your game!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
“Strokes Gained” is a fairly new way of looking at stats for your golf game. If you want to understand more (as I did), read Mark Brodie’s book Every Shot Counts. A good read if you like stats. Joel Beall of Golf Digest Stix does a great job of explaining the intricacies of this method. If you use an app to keep stats, they will usually do it the old-fashioned way Fairways hit, Greens in regulation and putts. If you want to use Strokes Gained in your game to see where your real weaknesses lie, use something like Game Golf to track your stats. Game Golf helps you know exactly how far you hit each club in your bag, gives you GPS data while playing, and gives you real-time data on all parts of your game.
Mark Brodie, author of Every Shot Counts!
Why the PGA Tour’s New Stats Matter
When it came to statistics, golf has been a historically simple study. You had a player’s scoring average, his earnings, maybe driving distance . . . and that was about it. However, the past 20 years have ushered a more analytical, diagnostic view to athletics. And though golf might have been slower to this revolution than baseball or basketball, it now ranks as one of the most number-driven entities in sports.
The PGA Tour is continuing its data-friendly approach with Wednesday’s announcement that one of the game’s most important statistics is expanding its reach. “Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green” measures a player’s non-putting performance to the rest of the field. The number is based off the ground-breaking “Strokes Gained: Putting” category, which accounts for proficiency from various distances and computes the difference between a player’s performance on every green against his competition.
Now, the Tee-to-Green number will be broken up into three separate elements: Off-the-Tee, Approach-the-Green and Around-the-Green. “This completes our holistic view of play under the Strokes Gained umbrella,” said Steve Evans, PGA Tour senior vice president, information systems. This is how the tour will define each component.
Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee
Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee includes all tee shots on par 4s and par 5s. For event and season-level statistics, a player gains or loses strokes off the tee. Add these together and divide by the number of rounds played to determine his average strokes gained per round versus the field.
What is your take on the study on increased distance on Tour?
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
The USGA and the R&A stated that there were no immediate plans to change the rules on equipment. Using the words “slow creep” regarding increased distance on Tour, the governing bodies see no need to panic at the moment. I completely disagree with that! At the current rate of a 1% gain in distance each year, it would mean that in 17 more years (not that long, considering this study is over 13 years), the Tour Pros will be hitting the ball over 400 yards! We’re talking average here. The longer hitters will be driving short par 4’s with ease. And turning 500-yard par 4’s into a drive and a lob wedge. The time to act is now. Not like the anchored putter debacle when they waited too long to change the rule. I agree with Jack. Change the ball for the pros, but let the amateurs play with regular balls to enjoy an extra few yards and thus increase participation in the game!
USGA/R&A publishes research on driving distance gains on PGA Tour
It seems that everyone, from media critics to former players, has a solution for the problem of distance gains in golf today, whether it’s to dial back the golf ball, change regulations on equipment or to continue to lengthen golf courses. Even Jack Nicklaus offered his advice: “Change the friggin’ golf ball.”
On Thursday, the USGA and R&A published research from a joint study on driver distance that may put those concerns to rest for the near future.
The study looked at data on driver distance across seven major professional golf tours — the PGA, European, Japan Golf, Web.com, Champions, LPGA and Ladies European. As presented in the research, distance gains are at a “slow creep,” as opposed to what some critics have suggested.
The chart below was used in the research study, showing yearly driving distance averages across the seven major tours — data for the PGA Tour dates back to 1980.
Also included is a look at yearly scoring averages, which the report also refers to as a “slow creep” downward.
We interrupt this program with some news from the PGA Tour!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
It certainly makes a lot of sense to me that the PGA Tour would consider having its own network. In fact, it surprises me that this has not happened sooner. With the great success of the Golf Channel, it is obvious that people are willing to tune in to their favorite pastime 24/7. Thanks to Dave Shedloski of Golf World Digital for this breaking and interesting story!
A shakeup in televised golf’s established order might be in the offing.
According to the Sports Business Journal, a May 16 story reports that the PGA Tour, which is in the midst of long-term rights deals with CBS and NBC/Golf Channel, could exercise an opt-out clause three years early—in 2018—to either seek new agreements or perhaps launch its own network. Network sources told SBJ that the tour has had preliminary discussions with several media companies to gauge interest in bidding on rights, although those same sources later expressed skepticism that the tour would end its current deals early. An industry source told Golf World that the tour’s exploratory initiative was driven by the lucrative USGA and R&A deals recently signed with Fox and NBC
The Top 10 “Amazing Recoveries” from Phil Mickelson!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Phil Mickelson’s short game plus a creative imagination make him one of the greatest recovery shot artists in the history of golf!
Here are 10 of his greatest presented by the PGA Tour!
Throughout his career, Phil Mickelson’s ball has found some interesting places and lies on the golf course, and more often than not Lefty pulls of an amazing escape. Check out the most amazing Phil Mickelson great escapes on the PGA TOUR (excluding majors).
For those of you who are wondeering how Phil developes this amazing short game, remember he has spent hours and hours on the range hitting all types of shots. The next time you go out to the range, don’t be afraid to try different shots that you may encounter on the course, and practice them. You game will improve!
Taking relief using a local rule is not always the best option!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Don’t take a drop if it is not necessary!
Several years ago, I was playing on the South African PGA Tour. During the second round of the General Motors Open at Wedgewood Golf Club, on the 9th hole, I found myself on a gravel pathway. I was entitled to relief, but the grass around the pathway was at least 12″ deep. If I dropped there, I would almost certainly have had an impossible shot, as I was also in a wooded area. I decided to play the ball off the gravel, managed to get the ball onto the front edge of the green, and then proceeded to hole a monster 60-foot putt for birdie! So, sometimes not taking relief can pay dividends. Next time, before you hastily pick up your ball, ready to take a drop, assess your various options because you might experience a very positive result as I did. Thanks to Mark Aumann of PGA.com for this insightful article!
USA Today Sports Images
Jamie Lovemark’s drop on the second playoff hole Monday left him with a rulebook decision.
Just because the Rules of Golf offer you the option to take relief from an obstruction, it’s not always in your best interests.
Consider the case of Jamie Lovemark on Monday in the Zurich Classic playoff. On the second playoff hole, Lovemark plugged his approach left of the green and near the grandstand. Because of the heavy rains that soaked TPC Louisiana all weekend, a Local Rule enabled him to drop from a point nearest to where his ball embedded, but it eventually came to rest just an inch or two away from the concrete cart path.
That qualifies as an immovable obstruction under Rule 24-2b since the cart path could have interfered with the path of Lovemark’s intended swing. But Lovemark knew — and confirmed with a Rules Official — he had the option of playing the ball there instead of taking relief.
Assess your options before you lift the ball.
For Chip Essig, 2011 National PGA Golf Professional of the Year and Vice Chairman of the PGA of America’s Rules Committee, that’s a point every player needs to keep in mind.
“If he was within an inch or two of the cart path, I’m sure he had cart path relief,” Essig said. “But you don’t have to take relief from an obstruction if you don’t want to. It’s something I always tell players. Before you lift your ball, make sure you know where you’re going to have to drop it.”
“This is a case where if he went over there and immediately lifted it, he would have to take relief. And since he didn’t, he could go ahead and play it.”
Lovemark realized that where the ball came to rest — on a relatively flat, somewhat dry lie — was probably going to be better than taking relief and dropping into an area where spectators and carts had made a muddy mess. In addition, there was no telling what kind of stance he might have.
And per the old adage, the better the devil you know rather than the devil you don’t.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
If you remember, last year Sports Illustrated featured a poll that asked, “Who was the most overrated golf on Tour?”
The two most popular answers were Rickie Fowler and Ian Poulter. Rickie immediately stepped up to the plate and produced a string of victories throughout the world, including the Players Championship and the Scottish Open, to immediately silence the critics. Ian has had a “fair” year but has not won as much as Rickie, so the verdict is still out on him! This year the two biggest questions are “Will Tiger win again?” and “Who would you want by your side in a bar fight!” It seems Ernie Els fits the second question quite well! Thanks to Golf Step by Step and Sports Illustrated for this fun poll!
Sports Illustrated released their annual Anonymous Player Poll on Tuesday, but there wasn’t much Rickie Fowler-esque motivation to be gleaned from the 150 players’ answers. Last year, Fowler and Ian Poulter were pegged as the leading vote getters as to who were believed to be the most overrated players on Tour.
SI interviewed more than 150 players from the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and LPGA Tour.
Here are some of the most interesting responses.
Will Tiger Woods win another PGA Tour event?
PGA TOUR
Yes 42%
No 27%
Don’t know 31%
Loose Lips: “I’m optimistic, but running out of reasons.”
CHAMPIONS
Yes 72%
No 23%
Don’t know 5%
Loose Lips: “I don’t even know if he’ll play again.”
LPGA
Yes 36%
No 64%
If you were to be in a bar fight, who would you want to have your back?
PGA TOUR
Ernie Els 15%
Keegan Bradley 9%
Ángel Cabrera 7%
Pat Perez 5%
Brooks Koepka 4%
No one out here 18%
Others 42%
Loose Lips: “I’ve heard some bar stories about Ernie.”
DeChambeau is the most interesting golfer since Moe Norman!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Bryson DeChambeau reminds me of Moe Norman.
For those of you who don’t know who Moe Norman was, this Canadian Professional golfer was regarded as the greatest ball-striker who ever lived. The top players in the world would stop hitting balls and go and watch Moe when he walked onto the range to hit balls. Both he and DeChambeau have exhibited quirky characteristics. And each has had definite and individual ideas on how to hit a golf ball. It’s interesting to note that the late Moe Norman is still revered by golfers worldwide today. Even though he never won a Major or achieved much acclaim in his playing days!
DeChambeau is the most interesting golfer since Moe Norman!
Certain golfers seem destined to enter the game’s history as genuine characters. Of course, top performers often only appear to be so, because even normal traits placed under a magnifying glass can start to look like eccentricities. But the truest criteria for character status are personality, an appealing narrative and a distinctive natural style. To make the cut, it must all add up to being interestingly different.
At 22, Bryson DeChambeau already checks all the latter boxes as he turns professional after a spectacular late burst as an amateur. In less than a year, the relatively unknown kid from Clovis in California’s dusty Central Valley has become the golf insiders’ favorite topic of curiosity.
There’s no doubt he’s interestingly different.
As a former physics major at SMU, where he skipped his senior year after the school’s golf team was ruled ineligible for postseason play, DeChambeau has a game built on the principles of two arcane science-based golf tomes: The Golfing Machine,by Homer Kelley, and Vector Putting, by H.A. Templeton. Kelley’s 1969 book was the basis for DeChambeau’s decision five years ago to create a set of irons that are all the same length. On the course, he sports a distinctive cap evocative of Ben Hogan—though as a knit by Kangol it harkens to Payne Stewart and Calvin Peete, the slimmer lines modulating a head and features that resemble Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
The jock theme is reinforced by DeChambeau’s 6-1, 200-pound physique, but the science-geek persona gains traction with his pastimes like table tennis, shuffleboard, and slacklining—walking along thin straps of tubular webbing stretched between trees like a tightrope—all of which he says improve his “proprioception.” (Quick translation: coordination.)
Of course, DeChambeau can play.
Last year he became only the fifth player, joining Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Ryan Moore, to win the NCAA and U.S. Amateur championships in the same year. In the seven pro events DeChambeau played in his amateur apprenticeship leading up to the Masters, he made six cuts, including a T-2 at last year’s Australian Masters. His ambitious goal is to capitalize on the seven sponsor exemptions he can count on this season to earn his PGA Tour card, as Jordan Spieth did in 2013 (After finishing T-21 in the Masters, DeChambeau made his pro debut at Hilton Head and finished T-4).
DeChambeau knows he has a presence, and he has a mission. His most stated goal is to influence the game’s multitudes and bring more people to golf. He has been inspired by two meetings with Arnold Palmer, whose example of giving back on a large scale he expects to emulate. Because at this point in his life, Bryson DeChambeau is pretty sure he can do anything.
Consider his explanation for writing his full name backward with his left hand, which could be taken as the DeChambeau Manifesto.
“It’s not talent, it’s just practice,” he says in a voice that sounds like it belongs to an older person. “If I wanted to learn Arabic or Russian, I could. Or tie my shoes in a new way, I could. Why? Dedication. I’m not really smart, but I’m dedicated. I can be good at anything if I love it and dedicate myself. And I love history, love science. I love music and golf, love learning, and life. I love trying to be the best at anything and everything.”
Yes, DeChambeau can come on strong, in a way that could easily come off as grandstanding to his peers. But it’s telling that amateurs like him as he compes against and has been well-received by pros.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Entering the final round of a PGA or LPGA Tour event, you know there will be drama somewhere on the back 9. Particularly if the leader is in that position for the first time in his/her career. It’s tough to win on Tour, but closing out that first victory or first Major Championship is even more challenging. (just ask Phil, Rory, Greg, and Jordan) Joel Beall of Golf Digest has put together a great list of the top 10 blowups in PGA and LPGA Tour history. Enjoy!
Getty Images
MAMARONECK, NY – JUNE 18: Phil Mickelson stands on the 18th green after his last putt in the final round of the 2006 US Open Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club on June 18, 2006 in Mamaroneck, New York. Geoff Ogilvy won the championship by one stroke. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The PGA Tour Twitter account routinely posts a “Golf is hard” segment, in which bad shots are showcased. The idea is that, hey, those chunks and slices and three-putts that are prevalent among us amateurs? It happens to the pros, too.
Kevin Na at the 2011 Texas Open.
At the ninth hole at TPC San Antonio, Na lost his drive into the woods, a shot which, while rare, is not unheard of in the top ranks. What garnered attention was the next shot — and the shot after that, and the shot after that, and the shot after that:
The final damage for Na was a 16. Frankly, the fact that he finished his round with an 80 is astonishing.
You’ll see that highlight at some point during this week’s coverage of the Valero Texas Open, which got us thinking: What are the worst single-hole blow-ups in golf history?
Yes, Na’s misadventures were the thing of nightmares, but it also came during his first round. For our list, we compiled meltdowns at critical moments, as the heightened stakes amplified the severity of the collapses. Moreover, we limited the field to just the last 20 years. Keeping those parameters in mind, here are the picks for the biggest single-hole disasters:
Jean Van de Velde, 1999 British Open
The English vernacular can’t properly capture the Grand Canyon’s majesty or the orotund beauty of Adele; these entities need to be seen, felt, experienced. The same applies to the glorious mess of van de Velde’s 72nd hole at Carnoustie:
Dustin Johnson, 2010 U.S. Open
Mishaps don’t have to come at the finale to submarine a round, as Johnson proved at Pebble Beach. DJ’s one-shot Saturday lead quickly evaporated on Sunday thanks to a triple on the second hole. An ensuing double at the third booted Johnson from the leader board, and he eventually finished in a tie for eighth.
Sergio Garcia, 2013 Players Championship
Sergio’s game is filled with numerous attributes. The “clutch” gene is not one of them.
Garcia was tied for the Sunday lead heading into TPC Sawgrass’ infamous par-3 17th. The Spaniard put his tee shot in the drink; his drop attempt fared no better:
Garcia left the island green with a quadruple bogey. He would also double the final hole, giving the 2013 tournament to Tiger Woods.
